Blogs from Skagway, Alaska, United States, North America

The fabled White Pass & Yukon Railway was built from Skagway, Alaska, to Carcross, Yukon Territory, between 1898 and 1900. It was the height of the Yukon Gold Rush. The narrow gauge 3-foot railway has been in operation since then. The railway paid for itself in its first years of operation by taking gold prospectors and their equipment to Lake Bennett in Canada. Later, it was extended to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Today, it relies on sightseers for the bulk of its revenue, and a ride on the WP&Y scenic route is always a favorite excursion for visitors to Skagway. A morning excursion train, booked through Carnival, was our first choice to begin our visit to Skagway. Carnival Spirit docked at Skagway on Friday morning. The White Pass & Yukon excursion train backed right down to the ... read more

Check out of our accommodation was at 11am. Google maps told me that pier 91 was just under five miles from our current destination. It is one thing we forgot to ask Jess, the owner, about regarding our departure – the phone number of a decent taxi firm. I was in the process of searching for a local cab firm when, at this point Roisin had a brain storm. ‘Have you ever used Uber?’ she asked ‘No, I replied. ‘I downloaded the App but never been in a position to request a cab from them but I suppose there’s no time like the present’ I opened up the app and hey presto, a map of the area appeared in front of me. I typed in where we wanted to go ... read more

Today was a long day.....up at 7:00, breakfast by 8:00, layering up for a 6 1/2 hour excursion up to Carcross. We had a terrific guide, a young gal named Candace who was very knowledgeable. She worked for Frontier Guiding, one of the private companies that was not affiliated with Holland America. Her company employs 9 people and she said they are looked after quite well but her boyfriend works for an affiliate of Holland America and although he is a guide on the helicopter glacier walks, he only makes minimum wage! When you book a tour through the cruise line, they apparently take 60% right off the top. To start our tour she drove through the entire town of Skagway pointing out all the sights and areas we might want to visit when we got ... read more

Geo: 59.4583, -135.314... read more

Took a train ride to a summit of mountain. So much fun and great scenery. Came home had leftovers pizza. Went to the Brewery to get a growler filled and have a couple and met a very nice young man from Mankato!!! Pretty amazing. Another gorgeous day !! Marine Hwy to Juneau tomorrow. This trip is going way to fast!! ... read more